Category Archives: Sermons
The Magnificat and Micah: Love Through Justice
It is interesting that we hear her song on the Sunday of Advent when we celebrate love, because just as it can be hard to see love in all Micah’s condemnations and warnings, it can sometimes be hard to see love in the scattering of the proud, the bringing down of the powerful, and the rich being sent away empty – especially when we are the rich. But as African American theologian Cornel West says, ‘justice is what love looks like in public’. When Micah and Mary prophecy justice, they are speaking of love. Continue reading
The Gift of Peace: God’s Love for All
The reflection for North Balwyn Uniting Church on the Second Sunday of Advent emphasizes the contrasting visions of Zechariah and John the Baptist. While Zechariah holds a nationalistic hope for Israel’s redemption, John’s message calls for a wider, personal vision of repentance and peace. Paul reinforces that true righteousness stems from love, not mere religious identity. As Christians prepare for Christ’s arrival, they are urged to pursue and embody peace in a troubled world. Continue reading
Sermon: Stand up and raise your heads, justice and righteousness will come.
Every year people like me moan and complain that the outside world has started preparing for Christmas too early. The Council puts up decorations, the shops start trying to sell us things, butchers and fishmongers tell us to order now for Christmas feasts, and all this before December had even started. Rather than being quite so Scrooge-like, grumpy people like me should perhaps look at the time and effort the secular world puts into preparing for Christmas, and put the same time and effort into preparing for the Parousia. That is, after all, what today’s Bible readings advise. Continue reading
Endings and Beginnings: Embracing Kairos in Troubling Times
This reflection for North Balwyn Uniting Church emphasizes the themes of life’s uncertainty and the assurance of eventual justice through apocalyptic literature. It draws parallels between the biblical narratives of Hannah and the teachings of Jesus in Mark, highlighting the need for faith and hope amidst personal and communal struggles. The message transcends human fragility, urging believers to celebrate God’s presence and intentions for peace. Continue reading
When God Seems Absent: Finding Hope in the Book of Ruth
The reflection discusses the biblical story of Ruth and Boaz, emphasizing their loyalty and actions that defy societal norms to aid Naomi. Despite Naomi’s questionable intentions, Ruth’s bravery and Boaz’s kindness exemplify the importance of hesed and the transformative power of compassion, illustrating how they ultimately contribute to Israel’s legacy. Continue reading
The Legacy of Ruth: Challenging Prejudice in Scripture
The reflection discusses the author’s genetic heritage and its connection to interfaith marriages in biblical narratives, particularly in the Book of Ruth. It emphasizes Ruth’s extraordinary loyalty to her mother-in-law Naomi, challenging cultural prejudices of marriage and foreignness. The text encourages embracing inclusivity and love amidst prejudice, reflecting Jesus’ teachings. Continue reading
Sermon: Mark 10:17-31 and the Challenge of Wealth
Sadly, there is no evidence that there ever was a narrow gate in the walls of Jerusalem known as the Eye of the Needle, and no evidence of this interpretation of the passage until the ninth century. Nor does it help us to change one letter in the Greek word and turn a camel into a rope. This is not a saying about a camel trying to get through a gate or a rope being threaded through a needle. It is a saying about a camel trying to get through the eye of a needle, which is impossible. That is the point. Continue reading
What does a good life look like? Reflection on James 3:1-12
We can do nothing about the misuse of Christianity in the USA. But here in our small corner of the world, in our small church, we can seek to live lives drawing on the wisdom from above that is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. Continue reading
The Power and Danger of Speech: Insights from James 3:1-12
The lie that Haitian immigrants are eating pets could be seen as funny. That is the way many people have taken it, you can already order t-shirts with Trump’s quote on them, although it is less funny when we think about the anti-immigrant hatred that prompts such lies. A much more dangerous lie, a lie that we know has sparked a fire, is the lie that Hamas beheaded forty Israeli babies on October 7, 2023. Continue reading
The Importance of Faith in Action: Reflection on James 2:1-10, 14-17
In Greco-Roman culture honour was to be given to the rich and powerful. Our culture is the same. We too place praise and reward the rich, while ignoring the poor or blaming them for their poverty. There is a reason that the media recently reported on Gina Rinehart’s opinions about the curriculum taught in Australian schools and it is not because Ms Rinehart has any particular qualifications or expertise in education. Continue reading
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